‘Once Upon A Time’ 

A fairy tale dance at the Sava Ball by Jelena Mandic

 A season of magic, beauty, dance, culture tradition and humanity, this is what Viennese balls are famous for. The Viennese balls are known for their opulent venues, elegant dress code and traditional dancing. Elegant formal attire, beautiful music, and graceful dancing – a Viennese ball is a sight to behold.

Branko Jovovic, Nikola Osmokrovic, Bogdan Osmokrovic, Aleksander Matic, Janko Matic, Aleksandra Zdravkovic and Milan Vidovic.

The balls themselves offer a glimpse into a bygone age of Austrian history. From the grand formal ceremonies at the beginning, to the way that Austrians universally embrace the Waltz. They are Austria’s cultural heritage and they play an important role in social life.

Stevo Kostadinovic, Zoran Kalabic, Adriana Lushezy, Snezana Dakic, Branislav Bogicevic.

More than 450 balls are held in the capital of Austria every year. Ball season usually starts at the end of November and lasts until the end of March. These great events are also bringing great income to the Viennese economy. According to estimates, the value of turnover generated during the ball season in Austria is around 300 million Euros, and in Vienna alone, the income is worth 170 million Euros.

Faim Salcin & Vesna De Vinca

The tradition of the ball goes back to 1814 during the time when the crowned heads of Europe and the aristocracy searched for entertainment after the Napoleonic wars. The first ball in the opera house took place in 1877 as a soirée. The following balls were ‘redoute,’ a French term for masquerade balls or costume parties, where the ladies wore their masks until midnight. From 1878 until 1899, such redoute balls took place around two to three times a year.

The most famous ball in Vienna is the Opernball or Vienna State Opera Ball. That is the time when Vienna State Opera is transformed into the world’s most famous ballroom. The Vienna Opera Ball is the most glamourous of them all, and thanks to TV broadcasting, it reaches an audience of millions at home and abroad. Anyone who cannot celebrate on-site with the 5,150 ball guests can enjoy the opening ceremony, music, dance, and interviews on TV.

Jelena Mandic

You don’t need to be a super-brilliant dancer to join the best Vienna balls, though. Most of these balls are so packed that basic dancing skills will be absolutely fine. The key dance there is the waltz.

Many balls are present in the season, we single out some of the interesting ones like, Vienna Philharmonic Ball, Ball of The Vienna Medical Doctors, Ball of The Coffee brewers, Ball of Legal Professionals and the list goes on. 

But Sava Ball attracts more and more attention from year to year, both from Austrians, the Serbian diaspora and foreigners who heard about it through friends or saw photos from the previous years.

Aleksandra Kokotovic is a multimedia America/Serbian/Bosnian artist born in Sarajevo. She donated her works of art to a humanitarian auction at the Sava Ball.

The importance of the ball, as well as the activity of the Serbian community in the Austrian capital, is indicated by the fact that the St Sava Ball is the only foreign ball among the 14 most solemn balls that take place in the prestigious Hofburg. After a 100-year break, in January 1998, the Serbian Ball was held again in Vienna, this time under the name “Svetosavski Ball.”

It was named after the first Serbian archbishop and founder of the Serbian Athos Monastery, Hilandar Rastko Nemanjić (“Saint Sava”) Sava was a Serbian prince and Orthodox monk, the founder of Serbian law, and a diplomat and much more. (1169-27 January 1236) 

This year, the Saint Sava Ball in Vienna was successfully held in the prestigious ballroom of the Imperial Vienna Hofburg, in 12 halls with over 2,000 guests from different countries and the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehamer as the guest of honor.

This is one of the most prestigious events organised by the “Serbian Center”, whose director is Mr. Milan Vidovic, accompanied by a great team, Branko Jovovic, Nikola Osmokrovic, Bogdan Osmokrovic, Aleksandar Matic, Janko Matic and Aleksandra Zdravkovic.

In the manner of Viennese balls, the high point of the midnight encore was arranged, where actors and dancers performed the famous “Serbian Quadrille” by Johann Strauss the Younger.

The idea for the birth of the “Sava Ball” arose when the “Johann Strauss” society from Vienna requested the support of Serbian businessmen in Austria for the printing of the collection of Johann Strauss the Younger.

‘The purple magic of the night sizzled on the snow, the moon turned icy and smooth, and the unusually restless stars shone. The trees, black and wet, awakened by the light, moved aside and waved fingers dripping with pearls. “What’s going on,” murmured the branches sleepily and softly, in a whisper. Watery, singing, timid and cobalt blue in the night, Vienna was prepared to start another ball. But Slavic! Because there are shortcuts to joy, with dance being one of them. It’s the nineteenth century, about fifty thousand Slavs live in this city, connected by a close origin and a similar fate…’

Within those works, the work “Serbian Quadrille” was created in 1846, and at the request of Prince Milos Obrenovic of Serbia, who lived in Vienna since 1842, and on whose initiative this Serbian ball was held for the first time in that year. This ball, in addition is preserving a long tradition. 

The Serbian people who live and work in Vienna and fostering relations between Serbia and Austria, have another important mission, which is a humanitarian character.

This year, all the funds collected from the auction are intended for Down Syndrome members from the centre from Banja Luka in Republika Srpska.

For the purpose of collecting these funds, artists Gala Caki, Natalija Ribovic, Jelena Mandic “Urijell” and Aleksandra Kokotovic put their works of art up for auction. In addition to these artists, many donations also came from successful businessmen from both Vienna and Serbia. Over 70 companies and organisations. One of the most important companies and successful businessmen who have nurtured the existence and culture of “Sava Bala” with their donations over the years are Branislav Bogicevic from Novi Sad “Eso Tron”, Zoran Kalabic’s company “4M Immobilien” Vienna as well as the W Media Group company, successful Serbian businessman Steva Kostadinovic is a silent sponsor of the ball and a great humanitarian, who, in addition to his seven children, has three more adopted children.

The organisers owe special thanks to the platinum sponsors, the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Austria, as well as Raiffeisen International Bank.

In addition to the music and art program in the four halls, in the remaining rooms of the Hofburg, guests could visit additional content to complete the experience. In the winter garden, they could taste the chocolate fountain of the Vienna Chocolate Museum, or learn more about the past of Serbian balls at the stand of the history Museum from Belgrade. The tastes of Serbian delicacies from Meze & Sliva were also enjoyed. The official program of the Svetosava Ball connects two cultures and includes both the Viennese waltz and Serbian traditional dances. Opera arias and chansons are part of the ball program. The ball brought together many famous people from the public scene of both Austria and Serbia, from different spheres of politics, sports, acting and art.

The date for next year is set for 31.01.2025 and promises an even better time and expansion to more halls in Hofburg due to the interest of guests and the good response this year. 

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